Truth is often stranger than fiction. A July 14th article of German news site Spiegel:Online, (original German or Google translation) reports that the skull of director, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888-1931), has apparently been stolen from the family mausoleum. Murnau introduced vampires to film with his classic 1922 silent film, “Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror.” It appears that the thieves targeted Fredrich’s coffin in particular. The two coffins of his brothers remained undisturbed.
Investigators also found wax residue around the coffins that could have come from candles. Were these used simply for light or was some dark ritual performed in the grave during the theft?
As you can see in this trailer, Nosferatu gave us some iconic ideas about horror that are still echoed in today’s films.
If you haven’t seen this classic, it’s worth viewing. A restored version is on YouTube.
Why was the head stolen? Was it just a bold souvenir seeker? Is this going to sit in someone’s private collection? Or is this more sinister? Has this been taken for some sort of occult purpose? If so, what?
So far there are no leads that have been made public.